Derby Memories - Derek's DIY

 

Almost everyone has some memories of Pinewood Derbies, most often associated with boy scouts. For the Blackham family, there was a little more than the usual Derby Daze. It started shortly after Landon's first derby. It wasn't great ... an old wood track, a yardstick for the starting gate, four judges attempting to eyeball the finish line. Grayson looked at his boys and realized he had MANY more years, and he wanted a better experience. That lead to his investment in a Pinewood Derby track (and tables, and timer, and computer/software, projector/screen). 

There are quite a few posts on the Blackham Blog about derby days, although it doesn't go back to the beginning (2006). Gray started doing the derby just for our ward, but with such a set-up, he began doing derbies for others as well. We even took a family trip to St. George to run one for Wendy's ward (2008 ... and Wendy has many DERBY posts on the Jenson Journal blog). I don't have the records for every year, but my records show 2010/26, 2011/32, 2012/36, 2016/54, 2017/43, 2018/45, 2019/52.  Gray would have one of the boys come along and help, moving in the equipment, setting up the computer/projector, and running the starting gate. 

When the LDS church announced it was cutting ties with the Boy Scouts program, Gray wondered if that would impact/eliminate pinewood derbies, or if the church's replacement program would still utilize them. Gray had invested in a lot of legos, and had done some parties/youth activities featuring a Lego Derby as an option, he'd done some family/work ones, so it wasn't just boy scouts requesting his services. Alas, it was Covid that really cancelled things. There had been a few derbies in Jan/Feb of 2020, and then...  the tracks went into storage and Gray wasn't sure if he'd be getting them out again.

Gray got a request for a derby in April of 2025 ... a favor for a friend. He did it, Landon was his helper (video short here). When Derek texted asking about derby status/possibilities, Grayson got him scheduled for November 12 and it was quite the night. Derek took some video. 

Derek did a YouTube video showcasing the derby, and the car he created for it. 

DIY Pinewood Derby Tribute to a 600,000-Mile Acura Legend

 

https://youtu.be/4_qOKVDID04?si=SLFQHeRNA-rPKr-T

A Compilation of Cars

1982 - Silver Stationwagon

Mom: No car seat laws back then. We had a little "hookover" carseat in the middle of the front seat for Jeni. No bucket seats then. We put blankets in the far back behind the back seat for a play and sleep area. We sometimes would drive all night to get here, so that you kids would sleep most of the way---no ipads or DVDs or movies or computer games back then to entertain you kids. So traveling all night (14 hour trip the first years we were there, then with added freeways and highways, it got down to 12 hours) was easier on us in one way (kids asleep), but hard on us to not fall asleep ourselves when driving--I remember Dad taking caffeine tablets to help him stay awake. And I didn't dare go to sleep because I wanted to keep him talking and help him stay awake. Then when we got here and had to face the day with no sleep was hard. I remember my eyes would feel "burny" all that day.

1980 - California Vacation

Scott: I thought it was a 1972 Chevrolet Kingswood Estate station wagon with an Oldsmobile 454 engine. I learned to drive in that car. I remember floating over gravel roads out by Dugway (stake ranch) at 90 mph when I was probably 15. I remember the "far back". Never wanted to sit there.

Jen: I did NOT want to learn to drive. To make things worse, I had to both learn to drive, and learn a stick shift ... because we ONLY had stick shifts then. Whereas some parents might bribe their kids with "if you get A's in school, we'll let you get your license and drive the car" our parents had to say "you can't be in any more plays until you get your license!"  Mom would stop the car and get out and force me to drive home. Dad would trick me into turning onto the freeway. I eventually mastered it, although driving has always been an issue with me (and has again become worse in my old age). I never had my own car. Chris went on his mission and I was able to drive his Subaru while he was gone. Grayson and I bought our first car (a little Honda Accord for $2000) the day before we got married.

1989 - Too many cars for the driveway!

We need to get a good picture of the little blue truck. So few miles for its 20+ years. It's been borrowed by many a kid over the years. Just recently (2020), both Keaton and Adria tried out their "stick shift" abilities. 

In 2013 Mom and Dad bought a nice new Lexus. 

Then there was a bad accident. 

It's incredible that they weren't hurt. 

They replaced that Lexus with another Lexus - it had protected them well!

More cars from the Westra past ...

1962 - After the Wedding!

 1963

Mom: When I was a teen, I could name every car make and model on the road, but not anymore! I learned to drive down in Sanpete County when we visited grandparents. Safer because there weren't many cars on the road, but.......there were lots of herds of sheep in the road and you just had to slowly creep your car through them. But I had to learn on a stick shift and trying to slowly make my way through the sheep and me jerking trying to handle the gas, the brake, and the clutch, I was sure I was going to kill several sheep every time!!

Mom and Dad's first apartment on McClelland Street in 1962.

(Homes Before Hermitage and Havenmoor)

 Dad is standing in the doorway top right. The car is a 1958 Chevrolet.

1968 in Richland

 1971

Two cars at the Hermitage house. 1976.

Grandpa Rex and his Original Automobile

 

This is Grandpa Rex ... Mom/Margie's dad. 

In his history, he wrote "In 1937, I got a job as a bookkeeper and parts manager for a Chevrolet garage that opened in town. After a few months, I purchased my first car. It was a new 1937 2-door sedan and was I proud. Up until that time it had been necessary to wash the truck, after getting it unloaded, in order to go out on a date. During this time, I met a girl I was interested in by the name of Zada Howell. I started dating her and finally asked her to dance. She took me and said the answer was yes. Needless to say, we arrived at the dance just as it was letting out. We decided to get married on April 13, 1938, in the Manti Temple. About that time the manager of the garage was having financial problems; he didn’t know how to operate a car dealership and he wanted me to work part time only. I told him as I was getting married that I would have to look for another job. I did get a 30-day appointment with the Soil Conservation office in Salt Lake. After that job, I helped dad with trucking. I was in debt on my car for $400.00 and no job, but we got married anyway."

In reading family histories, it is always interesting to see what is important enough to that individual to include in their write up. This wasn't the first mention of vehicles in Rex's autobiography. In an earlier recollection of life as a teen he said "We would also take a horse and buggy and go over the mountain and stay for up to a week " and "We hauled coal for our own use by team and wagon. It would take us two days to make the trip of about twenty miles each way." Can you imagine? Two days for a 20 mile trip! 

1937 Chevy

While cars were invented in the late 1800s, it wasn't until the 1920s when they became more commonplace in the U.S. But then there was the Great Depression (historically dated from August 1929 – March 1933). Things must have been looking up a little by 1937 when Grandpa Rex made his purchase, although you can see in his history above, that finances were still strained. Grandpa Rex notes that he still owed $400 on his car ... it would have been interesting to know the original purchase price, and how it was financed. He doesn't specifically mention what type of car it was, but Mom/Margie thought that he would likely have purchased a Chevy as he was working for a Chevrolet garage. Googling "2-door sedan, 1937" ... it does look almost identical, although almost all the cars from that time seemed to have a similar shape and style.

Here's another picture ...

I love Grandma Zada's handwritten notation on it!

Here's a few more notes about vehicles from Grandpa's history ...

• While dad was working in Draper, Utah in 1934, he purchased a 1929 used Model A Ford passenger car. We would hook a small trailer behind it and would haul coal for our winter supply.
• In the spring of 1935, dad decided to quit the job in Draper and go into the trucking business. Just before quitting he traded the Model A for a used 1933 Chevrolet 1 ½ ton truck. He had my cousin teach me how to drive it by trucking hay from Delta, Utah.
• In 1936 dad purchased a new 1 ½ ton Chevrolet truck. We would also haul anything we could load on the truck.

Grandpa Rex didn't include any more information about this, or any other cars purchased for the family. In 1944 (seven years after the car purchase, so it was likely they still had this one) WWII was going on and Grandpa had to go into service. Grandma Zada never learned to drive, so who knows what would have happened to the car during the almost two years that Grandpa Rex was gone.  And while there were no more car memories written up, you can check out the trailer that Rex and his dad built for the young couple to live in! Home Sweet Norman Home. A home on wheels, which did end up traveling a bit!

Check out a compilation of Westra cars over the years.